


Out of Time

by jumble_of_fandoms



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Angst, I'm Sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-16 19:53:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14817836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jumble_of_fandoms/pseuds/jumble_of_fandoms
Summary: Lucifer was able to protect Chloe, but what about himself?Set after 3x24





	Out of Time

**Author's Note:**

> I have entirely too many ideas because of this episode T_T

Lucifer raises his head to the sky as bullets rain down on him. He can’t stop the scream that escapes his lips. His every nerve is on fire as bullet after bullet slams into his wings, staining the impossibly pure white feathers a deep red. Chloe presses against his chest, heart hammering, hand tight in his shirt. The aftershock of the impact from the bullet she was hit with knocked her to the ground, but Lucifer had been there for her. Now, she can only stare in horror and surprise at the scene around her.

Lucifer holds Chloe tighter and tighter as the bullets continue and he does everything he can to hang on and fight through the never ending pain. He bows his head, his forehead resting on Chloe’s shoulder as he feels his remaining strength drain faster and faster. When he starts to think he’ll never make it, a silence descends upon them; the bullets have finally stopped.

Time seems to slow as he looks around him. Dust fills the air, slowly floating to the ground around him. Before it can dissipate entirely, he spreads his aching wings and uses the last of his strength to take Chloe and himself far away from Pierce and his men.

Air rushes around him, ruffing the broken and bent feathers in his wings. Breathing heavily he looks down at Chloe. He remembers the single shot that started the whole mess and is afraid of what he will see. His hand moves to her chest where she was shot and Chloe’s meets him, grabbing his fingers.

“I’m ok,” she whispers. “I’m ok,” she repeats, voice stronger. She pulls her shirt aside to show him the bullet proof vest underneath as he eyes meet his.

Lucifer feels air rush into his lungs and he takes a deep shuddering breath. “You’re ok,” he says softly. A shaky laugh bubbles up in him and he can’t help but place a soft kiss against her forehead. “Thank everything, you’re ok...”

He doesn’t have the energy to hold himself up anymore. Can feel himself collapsing against Chloe. His wings dangle behind him, blood dripping slowly to the roof they are sitting on.

“Lucifer?” He hears Chloe ask, her voice concerned. She starts to pull away from him and Lucifer can feel himself fall forward even more. “Lucifer!” Her voice is full of panic now, her arms wrapping around him. She lowers him to the ground, placing his head in her lap as best as she can.

There’s a hand in his hair and he forces himself to focus on her fingers. As the panic from the gunfire finally starts to leave him, a new fire builds in his stomach. He slowly moves his hand to where the pain is and can feel how wet his shirt is. His mind fills in the blanks for him as he tries to hide it from Chloe.

“You have wings...” Chloe chokes out above him.

A small chuckle leaves him at her words. “That I do, Detective.” The shock of what just happened weighs heavy on both of them and he’s not surprised she’s just now registering his wings. “I told you, I have always told you the truth my dear. I’m sorry this is how you found out the truth...” His voice is soft as he does everything he can to mask his pain.

“They’re so...” Chloe starts to say, but she can’t seem to finish her sentence. Lucifer forces his eyes to focus on Chloe and he sees that her own eyes are transfixed. Even covered in blood, his wings still have enough purity in them to stun her, even with everything that’s going on.

“Chloe..” he says softly. His free hand reaches up and gently rests on her face. Her eyes start to pull away from his wings, but not completely. “Chloe, please, you have to look away...” She blinks again, and finally manages to pull her eyes away from them. “There you go, darling.”

“Lucifer...what...?” Chloe asks haltingly.

Lucifer adjusts slightly against her, grunting with the effort it takes. “My wings are pure divinity. When humans look at them for too long, it can lead you down a path of insanity...” He holds her gaze, waiting for any sign of disgust or hatred to cross her face, but she only waits and listens. “You can get used to them, but it’s hard at first.”

Chloe takes a deep breath, reaching up to grab his hand that’s still on her face. She closes her eyes briefly before opening them again. “Ok,” she whispers, but Lucifer knows there’s a part of her tugging desperately back towards his wings.

“You’re safe,” he breaths out, breaking the silence they had fallen into.

“You protected us,” Chloe says, and as the words leave her mouth, she can see her understand their full impact. Her eyes widen. “Oh my-”

“Please, don’t finish that...” Lucifer interrupts. He can’t help the smile that tugs at his lips.

“You did though. You saved us...” Chloe repeats. “And you brought us here too, didn’t you?”

“That I did, Detective. I wanted you safe.” Lucifer’s voice grows soft, but is filled with emotion. “I needed you safe, I should say...”

“You got hurt though,” Chloe says.

Lucifer feels worry build in him quickly, but realizes his jacket is still hiding the worst of his wounds. “My wings will heal, eventually. It sucks right now, to be very honest, but they’ll be fine.” He thinks about putting them away, so she won’t have to look at the damage anymore, but he realizes he just doesn’t have the energy to even ruffle them. His hand is still on her face purely because she’s still holding it there.

“Lucifer?” Chloe asks and Lucifer blinks his eyes back open. He hadn’t even realized he had closed them. “Hang in there, ok?”

He is about to answer when Chloe’s phone starts to ring. She puts it on speaker when she answers. “Chloe!” Dan’s voice echos around them. “Chloe, it’s a-”

“Trap, yeah, we know,” Chloe tells him. She switches her phone to her other hand, releasing her grip on Lucifer’s hand. It slowly lowers and ends up on the ground next to him. “Pierce and his men were waiting for us.”

“Are you guys ok?” Ella’s voice asks. Lucifer can just see her pressed against Dan, bouncing on her feet as she listens.

“I’m fine, but Lucifer got hurt protecting me.” Chloe’s free hand is back in his hair and Lucifer’s attention is drawn to it. “He’s in pretty rough shape. Can you arrange a way out for us?”

Lucifer doesn’t really hear the rest of the conversation. The pain in his stomach has built to an unbearable level and even he knows he has lost a lot of blood. Whenever he’s been shot in the past, someone has been around to deal with it right away, but now... It’s going to be some time before he gets any help. Between his stomach and his wings still steadily dripping, he isn’t sure how much longer he is going to be able to last.

“Hurry, Dan.” He hears Chloe say.

She’s scared. He can hear it in her voice. He’s scaring her, but unless she decided to leave him on the roof, he isn’t getting better any time soon... “Lucifer.”

She’s shaking him now. He opens his eyes, once again unaware they had even closed. He grunts in pain, but his eyes quickly find hers. “I’m still here, Detective,” he tells her. “I’m sorry, I’m just a little tired...” His voice starts to trail off and a dark edge is starting to take over his vision.

“Just hold on a little longer, ok?” Chloe is smiling down at him. A hand is running over his chest. Before he can even think of trying to pull it away, her smile falters. “Lucifer...”

She’s found his secret, but there isn’t anything he can do about it. “I couldn’t stop them all, I’m afraid,” he tells her. She’s taking off her jacket now, pressing it against her stomach.

“Dan will be here soon, just hold on,” she tells him.

Lucifer wants to tell her not to worry. That he’s happy she’s safe. That he’s at peace because she finally knows his truth and hasn’t run away disgusted. He wants so badly to ask her to just let him go, that he only wants her hand in his hair again, but no words will come to him.

“Please, please, just hold on.” Chloe’s voice is frantic now. She’s pressing harder and Lucifer can hear the tears in her words. “Lucifer, they’ll be here soon, please, you just have to hold on.”

There’s not much left in him. The blackness is covering almost all of his vision and he can’t seem to make it go away. He wants so badly to look into her eyes again, wants to be able to get lost in her one last time, but she’s looking elsewhere. Around them, back at his stomach, at her phone...Panic has fully taken over her and Lucifer feels his heart break for her.

“Chloe...” he manages to squeeze out. “Chloe, please...” She stops looking around as his hand once again touches her cheek. It’s taking everything he has right now, but he has to at least try. A soft rustling sound reaches his ears and he watches as Chloe’s face starts to change. “I am so happy you finally know...” he tells her as his wing settles around her.

“Lucifer,” she whispers and tears spill down her face. “I’m sorry I never believed you.”

He wants to chuckle, but it would take too much energy, so he settles for softly brushing a tear away instead. “You do now, that’s all that matters, Detective. That’s all I ever needed to be at peace...”

“What are you saying, Lucifer?” The panic is building again, but Lucifer knows she understands, even if she doesn’t want to. “Just hold on a little longer, we can get you fixed up and...”

He gives her a sad smile as her words drop off. They both know he’s lost entirely too much blood and it’s getting to be too late to fix this. “Chloe, there’s something...” Breathing is hard...“I need to tell you one other thing, Chloe...” His voice sounds so far away. He can barely hear himself anymore.

“Lucifer, you don’t have to tell me anything else,” he makes out.

“I do though.” He takes a deep breath, or at least, tries to. A cough bubbles up in him, and as he releases it, something gushes out of his mouth and he chokes on it, coughing more.

Chloe chokes on her tears above him. “Lucifer...” Tears are falling quickly now, but Lucifer realizes that his hand has fallen away from her face again, and he has nothing left in him to put it back. “Chloe, I-” he starts, but chokes on another cough.

Chloe’s hand is no longer on his stomach, but on his face holding him. “Please, I don’t want to lose you...”

Lucifer feels his face soft. “I have never had someone...say that to me before...” he tells her. She’s given him something no one else ever has and he can’t help but feel a sense of happiness. Even if the situation is not really the best. “Chloe...no one has ever...made me feel the way that you do...” He’s so tired, and everything is almost completely dark now.

“Let me keep making you happy then,” Chloe says and oh does Lucifer want so badly for that to happen. “Stay with me and we can always be there for each other, ok?”

She has the smallest smile on her face and Lucifer can see she’s trying so hard to be brave. “My Detective,” he whispers. “Oh, how I wish I could change things right now...”

“You would have save me, no matter what.” It’s true, he would have.

Everything would still be the same.

He would still be leaving the one he cares so much for.

He’s still here though, and he wants so badly to say one last thing, tell her one last truth.

He can’t catch his breath though. Can’t seem to get enough air into his lungs as his breaths become even more shallow. “Chloe,” he manages to say, and that takes so much effort.

“I’m here, Lucifer.” Her voice sounds so broken, but Lucifer can see her trying so hard to smile for him.

He can’t hold on any longer. Has already held on longer than any mortal would have been able to. Has fought every step of the way to keep death at bay, but now...

“Hello, big brother...” A figure has appeared behind Chloe. Her voice is full of sadness. “It’s time.” A hand is being held out to him.

“Azrael...” It really is too late for him if his sister, the Angel of Death, has appeared.

“Lucifer!” Chloe says harshly, and he’s pulled back to her for a moment longer. She doesn’t know how to let go. Azrael is moving closer to him land he knows he is running out of time.

“Chloe I...This is poorly timed I know....please forgive me...” _Just say it, just hurry up and say it_ “I...Detective I... I love...” He’s coughing again. Coughing hard and it isn’t letting up.

Azrael is now right next to him, opposite Chloe, and her hand reaches out for him. The coughing finally stops, pausing just long enough for him to at Chloe one last time before Azrael’s hand finally lands on his shoulder. Between one blink and the next, he is pulled away from his physical body and finds himself slowly next to his sister.

“I’m so sorry, brother,” Azrael murmurs next to him.

Lucifer says nothing. Instead, he can only watch as the woman he loves holds his body tightly to her chest. He sighs, but he knows and understands. “There’s no need,” he finally whispers. “It was time, and even you can’t change that.”

He watches for a moment longer, wanting so badly to reach out to her, before stretching his fully healed wings behind him. He reaches out for Azrael’s hand, unsure of where he is going now, but he really doesn’t care. He’s at peace for the first time in a millennia. and nothing can take that away from him.

He’ll see Chloe again, someday, and that’s all the hope he needs to give him the strength to move on.


End file.
